Moistener and sealer for envelops, &amp;c.



c. R.`STEWART.

MOISTENER AND SBALER POR ENVBLOPS, m. APPLICATION FILED DEO. 31, 1909..

983,004. Patented Jan. 31,?1911.

nn: NaRms PETERS co4, WASHINGTON, n. c.

tirr i CLARENCE R. STEWART, 0F SPOKANE, WASHINGTON.

MOISTENER AND SEALER FOB. ENVELOPS, 86C.

esaeea.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that l, CLAnnNoE R. S'rmvan'r, citizen of the United States, residing at Spokane7 in the county of Spokane and ,State of lvashington, have invented certain new and useful improvements in Moisteners and Sealers for Envelops, Stamps, Packages, &c., of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to devices for moistening stamps, the flaps of envelops, and packages and sealing the same, the object of the invention being to provide a simple and convenient device adapted to hold a quantity of water and to be passed over the adhesive surface to moisten the same, the device also having formed therewith or at tached thereto a sealing projection adapted, upon a backward movement of the device, to force the flap of the envelop or package into position and seal the same.

A further object is to provide a moistening device in which a moistening pad is used, which pad forms the lower face of a watercontaining chamber by which the pad is kept moistened at all times.

The invention consists in the arrangement of parts and details of construction set forth in the following specification and more fully pointed out in the claims appended.

For a full understanding of the invention and the merits thereof, and to acquire a knowledge of the details of construction, reference is to be had to the following description and accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure l is a perspective view of my improved sealing implement; FiO. 2 is a longitudinal section thereof; and, Fig. 3 is a transverse section on the line 8 3 of Fig. Q.

Corresponding and like parts are referred to in the following description and indicated in all the views of the drawings by the same reference characters.

Referring to these gures, 2 designates a hollow' head of any suitable material, to which is preferably connected a tubular or hollow handle 3, closed at its exterior end by a removable cap or stopper a of any suitable construction, but shown as a screw cap. The bottom of the head 2 is formed with a plurality of passages 5 leading to the under face of the head. Carried upon the under face of the head is a plate 6 which is of the same area and shape as the under face of the head and is provided with a plurality Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed December 31, 1909.

Patented J an. 31, i911.

Serial No. 535,782.

of perforations 7 which correspond to the perforations or passages 5.

8 designates a flange extending longitudinally across the lower face of the plate 6 immediately beneath the margin of the head and of a depth equal to the thickness of a pad 9. This pad 9 may be of any suitable fibrous material adapted to absorb water and hold the same and may be held in position upon the under face of the plate 6 in any desired manner, as by screws 10.

The under face of the plate 6 is preferably grooved, as at 1l, the passages or perforations 7 opening into said grooves so that these passages or perforations can not be closed by the pad 9 when it is supported on the bottom of the moistening device. It will be seen that these grooves prevent the pad from being forced up against the openings of the passages 7 and thus prevent these passages becoming clogged. Furthermore, the groove or grooves 11 permit the water to be distributed more evenly over the pad.

Projecting out from either or bot-h sides of the `sealing head is the triangular eXtension l2 whose faces are relatively smooth and which acts as a sealer. Preferably, this extension is formed by bending up the margin of the plate 6, then bending the margin inward so that the extension is triangular in cross section, as shown in Fig. 3. The flange 8, it will be seen, extends between the face of the moistener and the face of the sealing extension, so that water will not pass over on to the face of the sealing extension, but said face will remain dry at all times.

The plate 6 may be attached to the head in any suitable manner, as by the screws 10. lt will be obvious that if desired the head and plate 6 may be made in one piece and that practically the same operation and advantages will be secured.

The operation of my invention is as follows: The moistening device is passed over the surface previously covered with adhesive, and meistens the same, and the sealing extension projects out from the side of the moistening head at such an angle that when the handle of the device is turned a triie after the moistener has passed over the adhesive, and the device is brought back over the material to be sealed, the surface of the sealing device will press down smoothly and securely upon the parts being sealed. It will thus be seen that one motion of the sealing device in one direction will moisten the gum sov A or other adhesive, while a reverse, with a slight turn of the device, will press the iap of the envelop or package down and smooth the same over its entire surface.

Vhile I have shown the sealing head as being provided with a tubular handle, I do not wish to be limited to this precise construction shown, nor to the exact shape and size of the sealing head. Neither do I wish to be limited to the use of a sealing extension at only one end of the moistening head, as it is obvious that two might be arranged on opposite sides of the head without departing from the spirit of the invention. In Fig. 8 I have shown in dotted lines a second sealing extension oppositely placed to the one first described.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim is l. A moistening device including a hollow head having` passages through the bottom wall thereof in its under face, a plate carried upon the under face of the head and having passages therethrough corresponding with the passages in the head, a moistening pad carried on the under faceof the plate, said plate being formed with a triangular extension projecting outward from one side of the head and forming a sealing means, the apex of said triangular extension being rounded.

2. A moistening device includingV a hol- -and located between the under side of the head and the adjacent face of the'sealing extension.

3. A moistening device including a hollow head having passages through one wall thereof to its under face, a plate carried upon the under face of the head and having passages therethrough corresponding with the passages in the head, and a moistening pad carried upon the under face of the plate, said plate being formed with a triangular extension projecting outward from one side of the head and forming a sealing means, the under face of the plate along the margin thereof having a flange extending outward from the underside of the head the thickness of the pad and located between the underside of the plate and the adjacent face of the sealing extension.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

CLARENCE It. STEWART.

lVtnesses:

ELMER E. MORRIS, GEORGE W. SOMMER. 

